Frederick L. Villepigue (c. 1826–?) was an American politician who served asSecretary of State of Florida from July 1, 1853, to January 13, 1863.^[2]

Villepigue was born inSouth Carolina. He was descended from aFrenchman, Francois Villepigue, who immigrated from France toSaint-Domingue, aFrench colony, in 1788, but was killed by his slaves in aslave rebellion in 1800 in theHaitian Revolution. Francois' wife received a last-minute warning and escaped with their two sons, arriving with Pierre Laurent Jumelle atCharleston, and settling inCamden, South Carolina. One of the Villepigues' sons, Paul Francis became a prominent merchant inCamden, and one of his seven children was Fredrick L. Villepigue.

Villepigue graduated fromSouth Carolina College and moved toFlorida in the 1840s. The1850 Census listed him as a 21-year-old lawyer living inJefferson County.

Villepigue was appointed to fill the unexpired term ofCharles W. Downing, Jr. asSecretary of State of Florida on July 1, 1853, and was elected to that post on July 25, 1853, serving until January 13, 1863.

The1860 Census listed Villepigue having a personal estate of $200.00. On April 19 of that year, he was married to Margaret Watson Armstrong, the eldest daughter of GeneralJames Watson Armstrong in the Presbyterian Church by the Rev. David Willis, inMacon, Georgia. Villepigue had one son, Harry, born in November 1863, and a daughter, Jeanne, born around 1861.

On January 11, 1861, at the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, Villepigue publicly affixed theGreat Seal of the State of Florida to Florida's Declaration of Independence on the eastportico of theState Capitol, turned to face an assembled crowd, and "in a clear distinct voice proclaimed Florida an independent nation. A second later 15cannons were fired insalute of the new state and shouting broke forth."

Villepigue enlisted in theConfederate States Army on March 3, 1862, atTallahassee, joinedRobert Howard Gamble's Artillery. In April 1862, he was appointed thefirst lieutenant of theLeon Light Artillery under Gamble, then a captain. Villepigue was promoted fromlieutenant tocaptain of theKilcrease Light Artillery on May 26, 1863. He served with the Kilcrease Light Artillery until November 22, 1864, when he resigned hiscommission to become Secretary of theConfederate Senate.

On January 22, 1867, he began to serve as a judge of the criminal court inMonticello, Florida until the next sessionFlorida Legislature and was paid an annual salary of $200 and $5 for each case tried. 1867 tax records show Villepigue owned 50 acres (200,000 m²) assessed at $700 and one horse valued at $50, while records two years later show him as a lawyer worth $10. The1870 Census listed Villepigue as having a personal estate of $300.

He is interred at Roselawn Cemetery inMonticello, Florida.

• Record of Civil War Veterans of the Kilcrease Light Artillery
• Collections of the Florida State Archives

• 1820s births
• University of South Carolina alumni
• People from Jefferson County, Florida
• People from Leon County, Florida
• Secretaries of state of Florida
• People of Florida in the American Civil War

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Pages with invalid birth or death dates
• Year of death missing